Weaving spindle and wire feed means for wire fabric making machine



July f5, 1958 4 A. E. BLASHILL 2,843,160 WEAVING SPINDLE AND WIRE FEED MEANS FOR WIRE FABRIC MAKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov; 3,1954

INVENTOR. draw Cf. 61m All! July 15, 1958 A. E. BLASHILL 2,343,160

WEAVING SPINDLE AND WIRE FEED MEANS FOR WIRE FABRIC MAKING MACHINE v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed Nov. 5, 1954 nited States Patet WEAVING SPINDLE AND WIRE FEED MEANS FOR WIRE FABRIC MAKENG MACHINE Arthur E. Blashill, Worcester, Mass. Application November 3, 1954, Serial No. 466,648 2 Claims. (Cl. 140-923) This invention relates to improvements in a machine for manufacturing wire fabric of the chain link type and more particularly to improvements in the machine disclosed in my prior U. S. Patent No. 2,202,442, issued May 28, 1940.

In my prior patent the wire from which the zigzag wire spirals are formed is fed from two sources between a series of rollers supported at some distance from the double helical giraffe into which the wires are fed and wound along a rotary former blade. These rollers operate to bend the wires successively in opposite directions before they are introduced to the giraffe and applied to the former blade, which blade, in my prior machine, was loosely supported within the giraffe.

From continued experience I have found that the multiple roller system of my prior machine precludes the practical possibility of supporting the reverse bent wires close to the points of entry of the wires into the giraffe, whereby the full advantage of the reversely bent wires and their application to the former blade is lost, it being appreciated that if the wires could be applied to the blade at substantially their point of reverse bending they will hu g closely to the sides of the blade.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved wire bending roller arrangement and mounting with respect to the giraffe and the former blade and to provide an improved mounting of the blade itself that the reversely bent wires can be made to hug as closely as possible to the sides of the blade, whereby an appreciable saving of wire is possible and the finished fabric is flatter than hitherto.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention residing in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, will become apparent from consideration of the following description with reference to the drawings and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view of a machine incorporating the features of my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the wire bending roller assemblies in operative association with respect to the rear ends of the giraffe and former blade,

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of said roller assemblies, and

Fig. 4 is a detail section of a preferred roller construction.

In the drawings, indicates a casing structure upon which there is mounted the giraffe 12, former blade 14 and a pair of wire bending roller assemblies indicated generally at 16.

The giraffe 12 and the blade 14 operate in known manner to form the wires 18, 18' from two sources of supply into zig-zag spiral formation and to intermesh the same within a split tube 20 from which the finished fabric 22 is taken away over an overhead roll assembly to a removable wind-up roll.

According to my present invention each wire bending roller assembly is reduced to three rollers 24, 26 and 28, of which roller 26 is carried upon an arm 30 pivoted at 32 and rollers 28 and 24 are carried upon a frame 34 pivoted at 36 and capable of adjustment about the pivot by actuation of screw stud 38 which has a bearing against the fixed bracket structure 40.

There is a bracket 40 upon each side of a housing 42 for the giraffe, which giraffe has its outer end 12 mounted within a recess in a bearing housing 44, the outer end of the blade 14 being secured within this hearing housing to a shaft 12" which shaft extends to and is secured to the driver cone 46.

The housing 44 is cut away at its right hand corners as seen in Fig. 2 to admit the rollers 28 of each wire bending roller assembly to lie as closely as possible to the giraffe, the actual distance being capable of adjustment by manipulation of the adjustment screws 48 with respect to elongated slots 50 in brackets 40, it being noted that each said roller assembly is mounted upon an inclined arm portion 40 of the bracket 40.

The two roller assemblies are of similar construction but are mounted in reverse positions due to the fact that the one assembly (that seen at the bottom of Fig. 2) feeds the bent wire to the underneath side of the giraffe while the other assembly (seen at the top of Fig. 2) feeds the bent Wire to the top of the giraffe.

Roller 26 of each roller assembly can be lifted from engagement with the wire by loosening the screw clamp 52. The degree of reverse bending of the wires with respect to their points of application to the blade 14. is adjustable by actuation of the screw stud 38.

A preferred construction of the rollers 28 is seen in Fig. 4 where these rollers are formed with a side flange 54 presented to the side of the Wire remote from housing 44, whereby this flange will prevent the wire, due to its angular application to the blade 14, from creeping along the blade and imposing undue wear thereon.

I claim:

1. A wire fabric machine comprising a hollow giraffe, a former blade lying within the giraffe and having sides which are substantially flat, means effecting relative rotative movement between the giraffe and blade, an applicator assembly located on opposite sides of and closely adjacent to the giraffe and blade functioning to feed the wires in bent conditionto the giraffe and blade, a bracket supporting each applicator in angular disposition with respect to the common giraffe and blade axes, each applicator including a housing, frame means on the bracket for adjusting the bracket axially of the giraffe, means on the bracket for adjusting the bracket angularly respecting the giraffe, two horizontally disposed rollers mounted in the frame with the axes of the two rollers lying in the same plane, an intermediate roller journalled in the frame above said two rollers and serving to apply pressure to the wire guided between said two rollers and one of said two rollers lying closely adjacent the girafle and blade whereby the wire is presented without appreciable tension to the giraffe and blade in a curved state with Itjllie curve of the wire tangential to the surface of the ade.

2. A wire fabric machine as claimed in claim 1 further including means allowing adjustment of said rollers about a common pivot point to vary the amount of curvature of the wire as the same is presented to the giraffe and former blade, and a side flange on the final roller of said two horizontally disposed rollers serving to prevent the bent Wires from creeping along the blade as the same are applied thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,243,353 Snedeker Oct. 16, 1917 1,306,859 Schneider June 17, 1919 2,037,067 Crossman Apr. 14, 1936 2,202,442 Blashill May 28, 1940 2,355,448 Kratz Aug. 8, 1944 2,625,961 Bergandi Jan. 20, 1953 

